ATLANTA — When police pull over someone with autism, those stops can quickly escalate into confrontations because of miscommunications and stress.
The General Assembly gave final approval Wednesday to a bill designed to alert police so they handle those situations better.
The legislation, which is now heading to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk, would create a specialty license plate for people with autism or developmental disabilities. It also calls for police to receive training in effective communication and using alternatives to handcuffs.
A star of the Netflix show “Love on the Spectrum,” Connor Tomlinson, urged representatives to support the bill before they voted unanimously to approve it.
“Today … we usher in a new beginning for Georgia as we try to make this state safer for the autistic and neurodiverse,” Tomlinson said in the House.
The bill is called “Rio’s Law,” named after a boy with autism whose mother, Layla Luna, advocated for a similar law that passed in South Carolina after a difficult traffic stop.
“This is a tool for law enforcement. It allows responders to approach a vehicle with situational awareness before escalation into a sensory overload with an individual with autism,” said Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-Armuchee.
Under Senate Bill 433, the autism license plate would include a symbol to represent autism. It would be issued only to Georgians whom medical practitioners swear have autism or a developmental disability.
